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Getting ready to go away for a week, so posting might be light…we are going to Virginia and I am HOPING to have a chance to visit Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm…if i do, i will definitely take pictures and post about the experience….I really wish we had farmers here on long island who raised salad bar beef!

It WAS cold yesterday–and while we didnt get snow–I still felt the need for something WARMING and so i pulled out my old favorite! Here it is–i hope you try it and enjoy–eating seasonal–which means root vegetables right now, so so key to sustainability and good health! So here it is, posted previously from my facebook notes….enjoy!

Yesterday was Cold–it was freezing and we had about a foot of snow…after shoveling the driveway, we made a snow fort, ran around with the kids outside and had major snowball wars all over the yard…when we came inside–that lovely tilapia and salad that i had planned for dinner just didnt seem warming enough–even after a cup of hot tea, i still wanted something dense and warming…

well…i went to the fridge to put the fish back and then i spyed this left over uncured bacon that i had tucked away for a BLT…hmmmm…..

my mother and father had left the week before to spend a month cruising from australia to vietnam and thailand so i had the leftovers from her refrigerator as well…which included my nemesis…a pint of brussel sprouts…

I hate brussel sprouts…with a passion–they are bitter and remind me of the torture i endured as a child because my mother would make me eat one whenever she boiled them up–over the years she has fancied them up a bit, and i have learned to get it over with…but i hate them….

Today, they intrigued me though….because i looked in and i had turnips, which i LOVE raw or roasted, but not boiled…hmmm…i also had some lovely carrots, fresh garlic which seems to be in a glut at the market right now and some nice big onions….i also had some GREAT kerrigold butter and rosemary…along with a tiny bit of bacon grease in the jar under the sink…

a plan was forming….

Roasted Root Vegetables

Here is the plan-pre-heat oven to 450F

1 Large Purple/white turnip-peeled and cut coarsely
2-3 Parsnips-cleaned peeled and cut in 2 inch pieces
1 Large Yellow onion-peeled and cut coarsely
3 Shallots peeled and cut in quarters lengthways
1 whole head garlic all cloves peeled and cut in half  lengthways
3-4 BIG carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 pint brussel sprouts-cleaned with ends cut off and outer leaves removed–cut down the middle
2 large beets cleaned and cut into eighths lengthways IF you dont mind some pink on the other veggies, they taste divine cooked this way, but some folks dont like the pink staining on their potatoes!
2-3 New potatoes or Yukon Golds washed and cut in half and then in long quarters or one bag of baby Yukon Gold potatoes washed and cut in half
sprinkle sea salt
a few turns of the pepper mill
1 table spoon rosemary
1 table spoon extra virgin olive oil
1-2 table spoons extra virgin coconut oil or palm fruit oil (or a mix of both-the palm fruit oil is red and turns everything a rosy color, but gives a great flavor)
1-2 table spoons grass-fed organic butter
4 uncured organic bacon slices cooked crisp and crumbled (optional)
1-2 table spoons bacon grease…

In the bottom of a heavy enamel baking dish (or any roasting pan) place all the oils–just leave them there, no need to mix…throw in all the vegetables in a single layer if possible–more is ok. Know the veggies will be  softer and steamed and less roasted, but will still taste great! Sprinkle with sea salt to your taste and crank that pepper mill–sprinkle on the rosemary last and place in the pre-heated oven on the center rack on bake–leave the bacon lonely on the kitchen counter for now and set timer for 10 minutes…

Stir the veggies when timer goes off–do a good job and all the veggies will be coated with the oils–your house is gonna start smelling divine…set the timer for another 10 minutes and go back to preparing what ever else you are making for dinner…

Stir again and set timer for 10 more minutes…at 30 minutes, sprinkle with bacon and give a good stir…this is where your preferences take over–I like a nice brown roasted veggie, so I cook mine longer–touching the bottom of the pan and the oil mixture is what browns the veggies–I cooked mine a total of 45 minutes, but my oven is an oldie and the temperature can vary quite a bit….take out–and let sit uncovered when YOU think its ready–mine looked golden brown with lots of darker delicious spots…I let it sit for about 5 minutes to let the oils cool a bit and gave it a final toss…

Even my picky daughters ate it and my husband said–its so nice to know that for ONCE something that tastes so good is actually so good for you!!! I LOVED the brussel sprouts for the first time in my LIFE–I ate 8 of them!!!! I am going to make this for thanksgiving next year and blow my mother away!!!

p.s. for my vegetarian friends…eliminate the bacon and bacon fat…and add toasted almonds…

In JOY!!!

This post has been featured in the make-it-from-scratch blog carnival this week!
make-it-from-scratch blog carnival!

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